Yankees Widen AL East Lead With Drubbing Of The Brewers

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Teixeira homered and had four
RBIs, Nick Swisher hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run second
inning and the New York Yankees gave the sloppy Milwaukee Brewers
a rude welcome back to the Bronx on Tuesday night, a 12-2
drubbing in an interleague matchup between first-place teams.

From New York's first batted ball, when Nyjer Morgan got twisted
up in center field and fell trying to catch Curtis Granderson's
fly, the Brewers never appeared to get comfortable in their first
trip to Yankee Stadium since their final year as an American
League team in 1997.

Granderson was credited with a triple on the play that scored
Brett Gardner for the first of seven runs against 2009 AL CY
Young winner Zack Greinke (7-3) in two innings. Greinke walked
three, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in his shortest outing
of the season.

Gardner scored twice without getting a hit and Teixiera had two
RBI grounders to second and a two-run homer for the AL East
leaders, winners of 13 of 17. Swisher added an RBI double in the
eighth, and Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada and Russell Martin drove
in runs for New York.

Freddy Garcia (7-6) gave up eight hits and two runs in six
innings.

Ryan Braun doubled leading off the eighth to extend a career-high
hitting streak to 18 games. But the NL Central's first-place team
made two baserunning blunders to end innings and were 2 for 11
with runners in scoring position. Milwaukee fell to 15-25 away
from home, the worst record among winning teams in the majors.

Greinke got off to a wild start, hitting leadoff batter Gardner
with a pitch. Granderson then lofted a seemingly routine fly to
center. Morgan, however, turned the wrong way and failed to
recover, slipping as he dived back to attempt a catch. Teixeira
grounded out to second baseman Rickie Weeks for a 2-0 lead.

Eduardo Nunez led off the second with a walk, moved to second on
a wild pitch, stole third and scored on Teixeira's second RBI
groundout to Weeks. Cano had an RBI single before Swisher hit his
10th homer for a 7-0 lead.

Greinke, who gave up five hits, has a 6.75 ERA in 11 games with
the Royals and Brewers against the Yankees.

Milwaukee's woes were not limited to defense. Mat Gamel, called
up from Triple-A Nashville on Monday, was thrown out 9-2-6 trying
to advance to second on Yuniesky Betancourt's sacrifice fly to
right in the fourth that made it 7-2. Gamel had an RBI single
earlier in the inning.

Corey Hart was easily thrown out at home on a strong throw by
Swisher to end the sixth after Gamel singled.

Brewers right-hander Marco Estrada was hit in the left foot by
Alex Rodriguez's sharp grounder in the sixth — one batter after
Teixiera homered — and left after throwing two warmup pitches.

Zach Braddock, called up from Nashville on Monday, relieved and
walked his first batter when he brought his hand to his mouth
while standing on the rubber with a full count to Cano.

Even Prince Fielder had trouble, apparently getting dirt kicked
into his eye when A-Rod beat out the infield single that caromed
off Estrada. Fielder danced around in pain for a few moments
before rubbing the eye clean.

The Brewers had a chance to take an early lead, but stranded
runners on second and third in the first.

With one out, Morgan singled and Braun was hit by a pitch. After
Fielder, the NL RBI leader, flied out to left, Morgan and Braun
executed a double steal. But Garcia struck out Casey McGehee to
end the threat.

NOTES: Jonathan Lucroy had a 13-pitch at-bat and Weeks followed
with an 11-pitch turn against Hector Noesi in the seventh. ...
The only time the teams have met in interleague play was in 2005,
in Milwaukee. ... Brewers RHP Takahashi Saito (hamstring), on the
60-day DL, could return for the series at Minnesota that starts
Friday. ... The Yankees have outscored their opponents in the
first two innings 118-66.